Biden will, Trump won’t: Politicians face coronavirus mask challenge

Trump, however, said that he will not wear one. The notoriously image-focused former reality TV star argued that it did not look right for the president to wear a mask.

“Somehow, sitting in the Oval Office behind that beautiful Resolute Desk, the great Resolute Desk, I think wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens, I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it for myself,” Trump said last week on the same day the CDC announced new guidance for wearing masks in public. “Maybe I’ll change my mind, but this will pass, and hopefully it will pass very quickly.”

Politicians weighing whether to don protective face material to avoid spreading the coronavirus must consider their personal image, political posturing, and public health.

Trump touched on a core principle of personal political branding: Politicians should never wear a funny hat. During his 2016 presidential bid, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz refused to wear a Wisconsin cheesehead because of the “ironclad rule of politics.” Other abnormal headwear or accessories could also fall under this rule.

Wearing a face mask in public for safety reasons, however, could be a notable exception to the prohibition against politicians wearing unusual attire.

Beverly Hallberg, president and founder of District Media Group, said that it makes sense for politicians to wear masks in some situations.

“I would never recommend somebody wear a baseball hat in a media interview,” Hallberg said. “However, if it is the president throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game, and a camera crew interviews him after throwing out the first pitch, a baseball hat is appropriate.”

But wearing a mask during a media interview or press briefing? “It would look very awkward,” Hallberg said. “This only makes sense in the appropriate setting, which is outside.”

Wearing a mask might even be fashionable.

Vogue published a photo of editor-in-chief Anna Wintour wearing a face mask, putting her stamp of approval on the accessory in uncertain times. “I hope that you’ve discovered what it feels like to wear a face mask when you go out,” she wrote.

Hallberg noted, though, that it is unlikely Trump or Biden will be pictured in masks since Trump is not leaving the White House and Biden is not leaving his Wilmington, Delaware, home. “Unless it’s like Joe Biden getting into a car or the president going into Marine One,” she said, “I just don’t see the setting where we would have video of either of them that would require them to wear a mask.”

Biden said Tuesday that he wears a mask when he talks with Secret Service agents guarding his home, but that he hasn’t been “going to stores or anything.”

Other politicians prominently donned masks in recent days.

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Tuesday wore a mask made by individuals in the state correctional system but removed it before speaking at a press conference. Californa Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat, wore a mask while presiding over a brief session in the House on Tuesday. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, wore a colorful fabric mask with the state’s “C” logo.

(David Zalubowski/AP)

In addition to protecting the health of those around them, a large motivation for politicians to wear a mask is to communicate the importance of public health to constituents.

“As a politician is someone in the limelight, you are consistently leading by example,” said image consultant and author Lauren Rothman.

But wanting to be a good example does not mean that a politician must constantly wear a mask.

“Is it how you address the country? No,” Rothman said, adding that it is possible to follow health guidelines and also keep a professional presence.

“When a person in leadership is going to choose to not wear a mask, and is going to be in a room with people, and it’s through video, it is helpful if something were said” for transparency, Rothman said, such as: “Everyone is 6 to 10 feet away from me.”

Mask-wearing has also become something of a political statement: a rebuke to Trump and signal of better leadership.

“He may not like how he looks in a mask,” Biden said of Trump on Sunday. “Follow the science, that’s what they’re telling us,” he added.

It could be a risk for politicians to continue to wear masks in the future as the pandemic eases, Hallberg said. “You run the risk of looking like you’re pandering a little bit or overreacting to the situation, where somebody’s not wearing a mask can show, ‘We’re going to beat this, we’re doing better.’”

At the same time, prematurely ending personal mask-wearing before the public feels safe “could be looked at as very irresponsible if that’s still a way that people think it can be spread,” Hallberg said.

And while masks don’t quite universally fall in the “funny hat” category, they still expose politicians to public image missteps.

Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat leading the House coronavirus task force, faced online ridicule for incorrectly wearing a face mask: it covered her mouth, but not her nose. Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti fumbled while attempting to put on a black face mask during a press conference.